In the 2010s, superheroes were box office gold. Even Captain Marvel — a character few knew before 2019 — sailed past a billion. Guardians of the Galaxy, literally a talking raccoon and a tree, became a household name. Fast forward to 2026, and the landscape has shifted dramatically. Supergirl can’t break even. The once-unstoppable genre is reeling. But buried in the Netflix catalog is a film that reminds you why we fell in love with capes and powers in the first place: Project Power.
What is Project Power?
Released in 2020, Project Power dropped at a weird time — mid-pandemic, when theaters were shuttered and streaming was the only game in town. It didn’t get the blockbuster rollout it deserved. The premise is lean and mean: a mysterious pill, called Power, gives whoever takes it a random superpower for five minutes. Some people turn into living bombs. Others get stretchy limbs. One unlucky guy just combusts on the spot. No two doses are the same. It’s a clever setup that bypasses the usual origin-story slog.
Why it captures the golden age magic
The film stars Jamie Foxx as a former soldier searching for his daughter, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a New Orleans cop, and Dominique Fishback as a street-smart dealer. The chemistry crackles. But what really sells it is the grounded, gritty tone. This isn’t a world-saving epic. It’s a street-level thriller about addiction, family, and the cost of power. That intimacy — that sense that the stakes are personal, not planetary — is what defined the genre’s best early entries, from Unbreakable to the first Iron Man.
The pill mechanic is pure fun
Every power sequence feels fresh because you never know what you’ll get. A dealer pops a pill and turns into a walking furnace. A junkie crumbles into dust. Compare that to the formulaic CGI slugfests of later Marvel entries. Project Power remembers that superheroes should be fun. It’s unpredictable. It’s dangerous. It’s the kind of movie where a normal guy with a badge has to outthink a guy who can turn his skin to diamond.
Why it was forgotten
Timing is everything. Project Power landed in August 2020, buried under pandemic news and competing with The Old Guard (another Netflix superhero film) for attention. Critics were kind but not effusive — it sits at a solid 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. Without a theatrical run, it lacked the water-cooler moment that superhero movies thrived on. Plus, it never got a sequel, despite a cliffhanger ending that teased more. In the streaming era, if you don’t get a Part 2, you get buried in the algorithm.
How it holds up in 2026
Watching it now, the film feels almost nostalgic. The 2010s were a time when superhero movies could take risks. Netflix’s superhero movie slate was experimental — Project Power, The Old Guard, Bright. They weren’t all hits, but they tried new things. Today, the genre is in retrenchment mode. Studios are playing it safe, chasing proven IP. Project Power stands out because it doesn’t care about setting up a universe. It just wants to tell a tight, 110-minute story with a killer soundtrack (the needle drops are flawless) and a villain you actually understand.
A perfect entry point
If you’re burned out on three-hour epics and multiverse lore, this is your antidote. No homework required. No post-credits scene that teases a movie two years out. Just a cop, a father, and a teenager trying to survive one night in New Orleans. It’s lean, mean, and deeply rewatchable.
Where to watch and what to watch next
Project Power is still streaming on Netflix. If you dig it, pair it with 2010s superhero movies that aged well like Chronicle or Upgrade. For something lighter, try Shazam!. But for a shot of pure, unadulterated golden-age energy, you can’t beat this forgotten gem. Pop the pill. You’ve got five minutes.
